My son is an extremely picky eater and it has been difficult finding a source of calcium for him. Of the different soy beverages on the market, he strongly preferred Bolthouse Farm's Vanilla Chai Tea. It was his main source of calcium for the last few years.
Today I bought a new bottle of Vanilla Chai. As soon as he tasted it, he commented that it tasted different (not as good). I had a glass myself and agree. The flavour has definitely gone downhill. Then I checked the ingredients and noticed that all the added vitamins and minerals are gone!
| Old vanilla chai ingredients | New vanilla chai ingredients |
|---|---|
|
|
The added vitamins and minerals, which were presumably why this beverage is so expensive, have disappeared, while the price remains high.
The Nutrition Facts box shows how nutritionally lacking the new formula is:
| Old vanilla chai Nutrition Facts | New vanilla chai Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 190 | 180 |
| Total Fat | 4g 6% | 3.5g 5% |
| Saturated + Trans | 0.5g + 0g 3% | 0.5g + 0g 3% |
| Cholesterol | 0mg 0% | 0mg 0% |
| Sodium | 75mg 3% | 105mg 4% |
| Potassium | 20mg 1% | 130 mg 4% |
| Carbohydrate | 28g 9% | 29g 10% |
| Fiber [sic] | 1g 4% | 2g 8% |
| Sugars | 27g | 27g |
| Protein | 10g | 8g |
| Vitamin A | 0% | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 100% | 0% |
| Calcium | 30% | 2% |
| Iron | 25% | 10% |
| Vitamin B6 | 120% | 4% |
| Vitamin B12 | 310% | (not given) |
| Manganese | 30% | 20% |
| Zinc | 30% | (not given) |
The main reason I was buying vanilla chai was for the calcium. Now it's useless as a calcium source, and it isn't even very tasty any more.
Judging from the comments on their Facebook page, the other Bolthouse Farms beverages have also been made much less nutritious. If you share my concerns, join me in leaving a review and comment there.
